The change was first proposed over a
year ago, and there has been a hue and cry in psychiatric circles about this
change in classification. The
controversy has yet to die down, and the D.S.M. 5 will not be published until
May.

Opponents of the classification change worry that it is an
easy way to simply medicate people to ease their pain, when in fact, the need
for processing, perhaps coupled with talk therapy and simply time is usually
the best way to move through profound loss.

I haven’t been in therapy in many years, but my
understanding is that there is a movement towards medicating for even what
could be classified as mild depression, rather than spending months on the couch
working out your problems through talk and analysis. My hunch is that this has
to do with the movement in our quite-broken health care and insurance system,
the same one that moves women who have had babies onto the conveyor belt out of
the hospital the same day they give birth, or, when generous, the next.

In other words, a quick fix for something that probably could
benefit from a little more time.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Brussels sprouts are some of those much maligned vegetables that never seem to be on the top of anyone's list (except the list of one of my sisters-in-law, but I'm afraid she's unusual). And until recently, I had to agree with the naysayers -- Brussels sprouts were in the wax bean (horrific) category in my book.

However, I have revised my opinion of the teeny weeny cabbages and now like them roasted, grilled and even raw. Yes, raw, as in a salad.

The other day at Trader Joe's (one of my many favorite supermarkets, see So Many Stores, So Little Time), I discovered bagged, shaved Brussels sprouts. Wow -- who would have guessed a market existed for this? But I was so excited, I grabbed two bags and tossed them in my cart.

When I got home, I combined the shaved sprouts with some prosciutto and pine nuts and tossed it all with a homemade lime dressing. My family was asking for more, and with Brussels sprouts, I consider that a significant accomplishment!

If you can't find packaged shaved Brussels sprouts, just slice or shave your own. This can be prepared a couple of hours in advance, just dress it about ten minutes before serving to maintain crispness.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Today on my train ride to New York, I sat across the aisle
from a man who had out his laptop, his iPad and his iPhone, and he was using all
three at once. I wasn’t clear on what he was really doing (it actually sounded
like he was on the phone with a tech expert, trying to fix some password on his
iPad) but he clearly thought he was being incredibly productive with all his
technology at his fingertips on the go.

I, on the other hand, read two paper newspapers cover to
cover and the first essay in a (paperback) book of literary essays I’ve been
meaning to get to for a while. It was a gorgeous piece, about scent, memory and
longing.

I didn’t look at my agendas for my meetings, and I didn’t
answer any emails (as I did have my phone with me.) I spent three and a half
hours sitting and thinking, reading for pleasure, and preparing myself mentally
for a long day of meetings, but without electronics.

It felt both a little slothful and absolutely delightful.

There is a part of me that salivates over having a new
gadget. I want an iPad so that I don’t have to schlep my laptop when I travel
overseas. I want a new iPhone since my
3GS is moving pretty slowly after almost two years. I love my iMac – it makes
typing on my computer a pleasurable, tactile experience.

But I also fall on the other side of the technology trap. I
have tried using an e-reader, but really prefer reading books – I like looking
at their covers, feeling their pages, turning down a corner on something I want
to remember. I like closing the book after reading the final page and the sense
of satisfaction that comes with putting it on the shelf.

But Valentine’s Day. Oh, Valentine’s Day is a little bit
different for me. Given its proximity to my birthday (as in, The-Day-Before), I
have always thought of Valentine’s Day as my extra birthday day. All that pink
and red splashing around in the heart of a dark, cold February? That’s for me,
thank you very much.

When I was growing up, my mother would leave my sister and
me Valentine’s Day cards and chocolates on the kitchen table in the morning. It
was, for me, a portend of what was to come the next day – a tasting, if you
will, of a wonderful birthday present. And since anyone who knows me knows that
my bloodstream is infused with chocolate, it was an appropriate amuse bouche.

Today, a day away from a big birthday, I think of
Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to think of all the little valentines that
exist in my life. Not so much the people I love – my husband, children, family
and friends without whom nothing would matter. I am thankful for them every
minute of every day.

No, today I am thinking of the little pockets of grace that
make my life more beautiful. Those random places and things that touch me, feed
me and make me smile. So here is my valentine ode to that which makes me happy.

Now I am obsessed. In the
few months that cookbook has been in my possession, I have tried only one
recipe from another source. That is because the recipes in Jerusalem are that
good. Interesting flavors abound. Simple preparations predominate. Gorgeous
photos entice. It is cookbook nirvana.

With Yotam and Sami, I have done things in
the kitchen I never imagined doing. Like cooking
chicken with skin and bones. And ground beef. I have ventured outside my
comfort zone. And I won't be turning back.